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Marathon fever continues to sweep across China, with about 2.8 million participants running in 384 marathons in 133 cities in 2016, according to a national marathon report released on Monday.

The Chinese Athletic Association (CAA)'s report shows that the number of marathon runners increased by 1.3 million since 2015 and that the number of CAA registered marathon events more than doubled from 134, Sina News reported.

1.2 million runners finished full or half marathon, accounting for nearly 43 percent of the total participants.

Marathon events have now been held in almost every area of China apart from the Tibet Autonomous Region, a sign that the sport is truly becoming popularised on the mainland.

In a move that may inspire even further participation, the CAA has decided to include two amateur marathon runners for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, providing they hit the required qualification time.